Safe and Sound
by asesina
Summary: First attempt at a Wee!chester fic. Five year old Sam gets lost at a highway rest stop, and John and Dean have to find him before it's too late. Mild sap, worried!John, and big brother!Dean.


Safe and Sound by asesina

Summary: Wee!chester fic. My first attempt. Five year old Sam gets lost at a highway rest stop, and Dean and John look for him. Mild sap and worried!John and Dean.

Disclaimer: I don't own SPN. Kripke does, damn him! 

Read and review! I love feedback and concrit.

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John Winchester glanced at his watch for the fifth time in half as many minutes. He lifted his eyes when he heard small footsteps approaching, and he was relieved to see his nine-year-old son Dean looking at him with mild curiosity.

"Hey, Daddy. Why are you sitting down?" Dean asked.

"No reason, Dean. I'm just tired," John answered quickly.

He wasn't being entirely honest- he was exhausted.

They had pulled off Route 40 near Albuquerque, New Mexico because Dean was hungry and Sam had to use the bathroom again for the second time in an hour.

Traveling with kids could be a pain in the ass.

John was trying to rest for a few minutes while his sons went to the men's room and stocked up on snacks. He was surprised that only Dean was standing in front of him.

"Where's Sammy?" John suddenly asked his older son.

He tried to quell the rising tide of panic that gripped his heart and roused him from his previously somnambulant state of mind.

"He's still in the bathroom, Daddy," Dean answered matter-of-factly. He wanted to give Sam some privacy now that he was five years old, but something told him that he should've kept an eye on his brother.

"Dean, he's been in there too long," John said, his voice frantic as he dragged Dean by the hand and ran into the men's room.

"Sammy!" John yelled. Several men looked up at him in annoyance and surprise as he kicked in several of the half-open stall doors in an attempt to find his son.

"Dean, you look over there," John instructed breathlessly as he continued to search every damp, moldy corner of the rest stop bathroom.

Sam was nowhere to be found.

John couldn't help but offer a prayer to whatever God or guardian angel might be watching over his son.

"_Please, let us find Sam. Keep him safe_."

"Daddy, where's Sam?" Dean asked in a tiny voice. He had never seen his father this frightened before, expect for the night of the fire.

"I don't know, Dean. He could be outside by now," John realized, the fear dawning on him as he thought about Sam wandering into the parking lot and the rain.

"Dean, we have to go outside. He's not in here," John said sternly, dragging Dean by the hand yet again as they made their way into the lobby.

John quickly scanned the row of gift shops and restaurant stands. He didn't see any sing of Sam in the lobby either, so he led Dean outside.

They were greeted with the disheartening image of any inky grey sky that threatened to drown the earth with rain any moment.

"We have to be quick, Dean. Sammy could be anywhere," he said quietly.

"Stay with me at all times. I don't need two missing sons," he added, locking eyes with Dean.

Dean nodded determinedly, vowing to himself that they _would_ find Sam.

They had to.

"Sammy!" Dean called. He looked under cars and peered into backseats, and John scanned the picnic tables and groups of people that were gathered near a row of motorcycles.

"Dad, I don't see him. Is he gone?" Dean asked. His green eyes were bright, and John hoped that Dean wouldn't start crying.

He wasn't sure if he could remain calm if his son started panicking.

"Dad," Dean said suddenly. He pointed at the sky and John was dismayed to see a few raindrops beginning to fall lazily to the earth.

"Damn, it's gonna pour soon," John muttered as he continued to scan the parking lot for Sam.

"Dean, you've got to get in the car," he said quickly.

"Dad, no! I want help you find Sammy," Dean pleaded. John set his mouth in a firm line and shook his head back and forth.

"You can't stay out here. You'll get wet and sick, and I can't deal with that right now," John said tersely. He motioned for Dean to follow him as he headed over to their rusty black '85 Camaro.

"Stay here, Dean," John instructed as he opened the car door with an unsteady hand.

Dean climbed into the back seat and stared sullenly at his father.

"I'll be back soon," John said before disappearing.

The rain was beginning to fall heavily now, and it pelted the windshield in an unsteady, unpredictable fashion.

Dean stared out the window and fearfully envisioned his little brother wandering around the cold, unfamiliar world of the rest stop parking lot.

He hoped that Sam was somewhere warm.

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Sam Winchester peered over the counter at the bright red and yellow display that dangled tantalizing pretzels, breadsticks, and other treats just out of his reach.

"Can you help me?" he called out.

The woman behind the desk was startled by the tiny voice. She looked over the counter and smiled as she was greeted by the sight of a little hand fruitlessly grasping at the pretzels on the display.

"What would you like, young man?" she asked in a sweet voice.

"I wanna pretzel for my brother," he said, sighing in frustration when he still couldn't reach one.

"Let me get one for you," she offered. She could barely see the source of the voice, but she could see the top of his moppy brown head.

A pair of hazel eyes appeared above the counter as Sam stood on his tip toes to see her.

"Hi!" he exclaimed in an excited voice.

"Hello," she grinned as he accepted the two quarters that he slid onto the counter. She wrapped a pretzel in wax paper and handed it to Sam.

"Thanks!" he called, and he disappeared below the counter once more.

"Where are your mom and dad, little boy?" the woman asked suddenly. A boy that young shouldn't be alone, she reasoned.

"My Dad was sitting over there before," Sam said, motioning over towards the benches by the restrooms.

"I don't see anyone there," the clerk said. She didn't want to leave her station, but she wanted to help this little boy out.

She came out from behind the desk and took Sam by the hand.

"Where do you think your Dad went?" she asked him, leading Sam towards the bench where John had been sitting.

"Dunno. I think that he and Dean left me here," Sam said sadly.

"I hope not," the woman said quietly as she looked around the crowd to try and locate Sam's father.

"What does your Dad look like?" she asked suddenly, trying to locate anyone who could make sure that this precious little boy got home safely.

"Big and tall," Sam said with pride.

The clerk grinned as she tried to tailor the questions to Sam's level of understanding.

"What color hair does he have?"

"Black."

"Okay, and what kind of car do you have?" she asked, wondering if the boy's father could be outside by this point.

"Black."

_That doesn't really help_, she thought with a grimace.

Almost half of the cars in the parking lot were probably black!

"I need you to sit on that bench where your daddy was before," the clerk said softly.

"I'm going to try and find your Daddy outside," she added as she jogged to the main entrance to the rest stop.

It was raining full force when the woman finally got outside. She didn't see many people in the parking lot, but she did notice several suspicious-looking bikers on the eastern side of the building.

The dark-haired clerk noticed a man pacing up and down the rows of cars. He had dark hair and was quite tall and powerful-looking, just like the little boy had described.

"Sir!" she yelled, waving at John. He turned to look at her, and the clerk could see the resemblance between the little boy and his father.

"He has your eyes," she said softly as she approached John.

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked frantically.

"Y-your son. I think you son's waiting inside for you.

"Sammy?" he cried. He rushed past the woman into the rest stop, and his heart soared with joy when he saw Sam sitting on the bench.

Sam was kicking his legs impatiently when John ran over to him. He lifted his younger son into his arms and hugged him tightly. Tears sprang to his eyes, but he willed them not to fall. He didn't want to upset Sam.

"Sammy," he said quietly as he kissed his son's messy brown hair. He set Sam down and took him by the hand. They made their way to the exit and John looked for any sign of the pretzel woman who had helped them before.

She was nowhere to be found.

"Sam, where is the woman who helped you out?" John asked his son.

"She was working at the pretzel place," he offered, pointing at the red and yellow stand in the corner.

An old man was behind the counter.

"Sammy, I don't see any lady over there," John said suspiciously.

"Maybe she was an angel, Daddy," Sam said.

John stood in silence for a moment as he considered the possibility.

"Let's go back to the car, Sammy. Dean's still out there," John said as he led his son outside to the Camaro.

"What happened, Sam? Why did you get lost?" John asked his son.

"I just wanted to get Dean a pretzel, Daddy! He left the bathroom before me and I wanted to surprise him," he said, grinning up at his father.

When they arrived at the car, Dean was already dozing off. The sound of the car door handle turning roused him from his slumber.

"Dean!" Sam cried happily as he climbed in the back seat by his older brother.

"Sammy!" Dean exclaimed happily. He hugged his little brother tightly and then released him quickly when he saw John smiling at them.

"Where'd you go, Sammy? We looked everywhere for you," Dean exclaimed. His voice was full of concern. It was almost parental, John noted with amusement.

"I just wanted to get you this, Dean," Sam said with a grin. He shoved the pretzel into Dean's hands, and Dean looked at it with surprise.

"Thanks, Sammy!" Dean said happily. He tore off a piece and handed it to Sam.

"Thanks, Dean," Sam said softly. He took a bite of the pretzel, but his head was already starting to droop.

"I'm tired, Dad," Sam moaned loudly from the back seat.

"Just sleep, Sammy. I'm going to find us a motel for the night. We can start the hunt for the chupacabra tomorrow," John answered. He looked into the rearview window and smile to himself when he saw Sam leaning against Dean's shoulder.

He could still fall asleep in the middle of a conversation.

Dean turned to look down at Sam. He smiled with relief as he saw his brother's eyelashes flutter gently against his cheeks.

Sam was safe.

"Sam, are you still awake?" Dean asked quietly.

Sam didn't answer, but Dean could hear him breathing deeply and evenly.

It was peaceful in the Camaro.

Dean wanted to talk to Sam, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind this kind of silence

Neither did John Winchester.

The End


End file.
